The Development and the Study of Effect of Self-management Model to Reduce Obesity in Obese Nursing Students with Failed Weight-loss Experience

Abstract

This research and development aimed to develop and study the effect of self-management model to reduce obesity in obese nursing students with failed weight-loss experience. The samples were second- and third-year obese nursing students with failed weight-loss experience of Phrapokklao Nursing College, Chanthaburi. The research was divided into five phases: Phase 1 assessed obesity and weight loss experience with a sample of 25 people. Phase 2 developed a self-management model to reduce obesity in obese nursing students with failed weight-loss experience. Phase 3 tested a feasibility of using self-management model to reduce obesity with an experimental group of 13 people. Phase 4 improved and tried-out the self-management model to reduce obesity, and phase 5 evaluated the use of the self-management model to reduce obesity with an experimental group of ten people and a control group of 12 people. The research instruments consisted of the self-management model to reduce obesity in obese nursing students with failed weight-loss experience, the self-management manual for weight loss, the obesity assessment form, weight scale, tape measure, caliper, and the semi-structured interview form. The implementation and data collection were conducted from March, 2019 to February, 2020. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, Mann-Whitney U Test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Fisher’s exact test.

The research results revealed that 1) the self-management model to reduce obesity in obese nursing students with failed weight-loss experience had been developed. The main components of this model are the management of diet, exercise, activities of daily living, sleep, and stress; 2) after the experiment, the experimental group had statistically significantly lower mean of weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and fat percentage than those of before the experiment (p < .01); and 3) the experimental group was statistically significantly able to achieve a greater amount of weight loss in terms of weight and fat percentage than those of the control group (p < .05).

This research suggests that healthcare personnel and education administrators should adopt this self-management model in college students who are obese and experience weight loss failures by focusing on self-discipline, having behavioral adjustment strategies, and self-monitoring of obesity in order to promote effective and maintain weight loss.